Accessibility

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Our goal is to make Texas Science & Natural History Museum welcoming and accessible to all visitors. Since reopening in 2023, we have made significant improvements to our 1930s building, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy our exhibits and programs.

  • All public areas of the museum are wheelchair accessible using elevators and chair lifts
  • Accessible restrooms are available on the first and fourth floors
  • A unisex or companion-assisted restroom is available on the fourth floor
  • Benches are located throughout the museum
  • There are free lockers in the Great Hall that can be used by the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Guide dogs and other service animals are welcome inside the museum in accordance with the University Service Animal Policy
  • For visitors seeking a quieter museum experience, we recommend planning your visit after 3 p.m., when most group visits have concluded

Accessible Parking

Weekday parking (7:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m., Monday to Friday) for persons with disabilities is available in marked spaces in the San Jacinto Garage. Vehicles must display the appropriate state-issued ADA placard or license plate to park in these spaces. Please note that the entry height for San Jacinto Garage is 6 feet, 11 inches. The entry height for Manor Garage is 8 feet.

On weekends, holidays and after 5:45 p.m. on weekdays, disabled visitors displaying a state-issued ADA placard or license plate may park in ADA spaces on streets and surface lots without a UT permit. During University events, a fee or permit may also be required to park in ADA spaces on campus streets and surface lots.

ADA Campus Parking

What to Expect

Accessibility Entrance

Accessible Entrance

The accessible entrance to the museum is on Trinity Street, just past the museum entrance on the right. From the San Jacinto Garage, exit at level 3 and follow the sidewalk and signs south along Trinity Street to the path leading to the accessible entrance, which is a white door. Pull the door open during regular hours or push the ADA button.

Interior museum shot showing wheelchair access

Wheelchair Access

All floors of the museum are accessible using the passenger elevator. Four museum spaces are wheelchair accessible using a chair lift. These include the Paleontology Gallery and Discovery Center on the first floor and the Texas Transformation Gallery and the Museum Store on the main floor. The maximum size for a wheelchair on the chair lift is 28 inches wide by 45 inches long, and the total weight the chair lift can accommodate is 495 pounds (chair and occupant).

Accessibility sign outside museum

Families With Strollers

Because there are stairs leading to the museum entrance, families with strollers are welcome to use the accessible entrance.